We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Caroline Robert a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Caroline, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

While my personal legacy may be defined a little differently, my professional legacy is something important to me. Photography is becoming something more common place and part of daily life in many respects but I get to capture one of the most monumental days in a person’s life. I have a photo of my grandparents on their wedding day hanging in my office. People may not remember the photographer from the wedding day but they’ll remember the photographs I take and that’s pretty special. My photos will be passed down from generation to generation.

Caroline, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started photography classes my sophomore year of high school then went to Texas State University to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts. For 5 years I shot film exclusively, predominantly with a Canon AE-1 (which you can find fondly tattooed on my left wrist). I learned a lot about developing, composing, & finding the artist within but they didn’t teach students how to sustain a living as a photographer in the real world. I was a 20 year old recent graduate with an art degree in 2008 without a clue as to what to do next when a random wedding photography gig popped up through a friend of a friend. I fell in love.

My approach is natural, creative, and momentous. A style that’s focused on capturing every single part of the wedding day, from details to candids, with a dedication and expertise that has taken me 13 years and over 400 weddings of being a professional to achieve. I’m most proud of the way I see the world. When the light is difficult I find ways to make it creative. I want to capture the feeling of a wedding day, even when it’s not obvious but also when it’s quiet and reflective. Capturing a wedding is much more than focusing on what’s scheduled on the timeline, it is everything in between that makes the event unique and special to the client.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

The best way I’ve been able to stay in touch with my clients is through social media. Personal relationships are important in my industry and I’ve found the best way to remind former clients that I am a human they should refer business to is to stay in touch on social media. I will also post photos of their wedding on their anniversary.

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I think people forget that wedding photographers, for the most part, are still artists at heart. The artist needs to be stimulated to stay creative, it doesn’t come out of thin air. We get burned out trying to force creativity sometimes, think of it like writer’s block. While we can default to our ‘go-to’ skill sets in times of burnout, we need a break to recharge and find what makes us happy and motivated again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carolinescollective.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/carolinescollective
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolinesCollective